• Lake Norman Fishing Report

    Fishin' With Gus
    (704) 617-6812 http://www.fishingwithgus.com/index.php Gus@LakeNorman.com
  • With Capt. Gus you will learn fishing techniques that will improve your fishing and allow you to catch more fish on you own boat. Light tackle is used to maximize the excitement of lake fishing. Guide boats can accommodate from one to six anglers. Fishing guides are available year round. They fish daily, including weekends and holidays.

  • Lake Norman Fishing Report

    There are lots of myths about catfish. Probably the biggest, is the one about scuba divers reportedly seeing catfish the size of submarines swimming at the base of Cowan’s Ford Dam. That's funny, because no matter where one fishes, the locals tell a similar tale. The fact is, big cats are caught around the dam, but as a rule, the largest ones are taken from the tailrace where the water flows into Mountain Island Lake.


    Gus Gustafson

    A second myth, and one that scares off a lot of people, is that the whiskers on the chin of a catfish have stingers. Barbels, as they are called, are used to taste and smell objects before being ingested. They are not stingers. It is the pectoral (side fins) and dorsal fins (top fin) that do the stinging with their barbed and very sharp spines.

    Myth number three is that catfish are bottom feeders. Yes, catfish are primarily bottom feeders, but they forage throughout the water column as conditions dictate. Jug fishermen know that catfish have a keen sense of smell and will travel a long way for a meal. Therefore, they attach a rather short six to ten foot line between the jug and hook, even when fishing in deep water. Those who regularly feed bread and dog food to fish around their boat dock will see catfish, carp and sunfish eating pieces off the surface. So, like others who fish the entire water column, savvy cat fishermen will suspend a few baits off the bottom as well.

    Everyone has heard the expression, “Big baits, big fish.” Well, Lake Norman Catfish Guide, Mac Byrum uses small baits a great deal of the time, particularly in the winter when the metabolism of the fish slows, and it takes longer to digest food. Then, he uses thumbnail size pieces of cut-bait and chicken parts. As the water warms in the spring, he uses baits the size of quarters and fifty cent pieces.

    Catfish will not hit a line with slime on it! True or false? Mac's experience tells him that it doesn't seem to matter if catfish slime is left on the line or not. The real truth is that it might be a bigger detractor to the fishermen, than the fish.

    According to Mac, it’s also a myth that flathead catfish only eat live bait. He says that fish heads (bream and perch) account for the majority of the flatheads he catches. As for me, metal jigging spoons have produced more trophy flatheads than any other bait.

    Another myth is that fishing for catfish is better at night! It is true that lots of catfish are caught after dark, but they bite real well during the daylight hours too.

    Upcoming Events: A free safe boating class on “How to Navigate Lake Norman Day or Night” will be held at Morning Star Marina, Kings Point, Exit 28, Cornelius, NC on September 11th at 6:30 p.m. Becky Johnson and I will cover topics that include “Understanding LKN’s Channel Marker and Buoy System”, “How to Avoid Shallow Water”,” The Ten Most Dangerous Spots”, and “Interpreting Lake Maps”. For more information, call Becky Johnson at 704 892 7575.

    Free Seminar: “How to Catch More Fish on Lake Norman This Fall”. Jake Bussolini and I will conduct this informative question and answer session on September 18th at 6:30 p.m. at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, Mooresville, NC. For additional information, call 704 658 0822.

    Tips from Capt. Gus! A look at the record book shows that the biggest catfish taken from Lake Norman was an eighty-five pound Arkansas Blue Catfish. That’s a big one, but is ultra-light compared to the submarine sizes seen by scuba divers!

    Fishing Report: Fishing has improved, now that the summer pleasure boating season is drawing to a close. Schooling spotted bass are surface feeding on river and creek points. Bigger fish are hitting drop shot rigs and deep diving crank baits off shore. White perch have moved into the narrower parts of secondary creeks and are suspended in twenty to thirty feet of water. For pole fishermen, bream, sunfish and channel cats are plentiful.

    Water Conditions:
    The water level on Lake Norman is approximately 2.1' below full pond. Mountain Island Lake is 3.2' below full. Surface water temperatures are in the high seventies and low to mid-eighties, depending on location or proximity to a power plant.
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